Harmse the brick in Scorpions' wall

By Dan McCarney :
May 4, 2012
: Updated: May 4, 2012 10:59pm

The Scorpions' Kevin Harmse (right) tries to work the ball around Fort Lauderdale's Aly Hassan (left) during a match on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at Heroes Stadium.

Scorpions captain Kevin Harmse. Photo courtesy of Elaine Carroll

Scorpions captain Kevin Harmse. Photo courtesy of Elaine Carroll

Photo By John Albright/For the Express-News

The Scorpions players and Fort Lauderdale players push and shove each other as the Scorpions' Kevin Harmse (6) lies on the ground after a hard foul during a match on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at Heroes Stadium.

Photo By John Albright/For the Express-News

The Scorpions' Kevin Harmse (6) is given a yellow card by the referee during a match against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at Heroes Stadium.

“We zeroed in on him,” Hankinson said. “He's always there verbally, pushing players to work hard and be at their best. So those kind of qualities, along with his game, became a great package for us.”

Harmse (pronounced “harms”) not only embraced a leadership role but asked for it, discussing the captaincy during his first conversation with Hankinson.

“I told him I wanted to be the leader of this team,” said Harmse, whose wife, Monica, is a San Antonio native and an employee of the Express-News. “It's a lot of responsibility, but it's what I wanted. I've always had that mentality.”

Harmse, 27, has had plenty of opportunities to hone his abilities during a globetrotting career that includes stints in Norway, Slovakia and MLS.

He made 17 appearances for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007, participating in the travelling circus that was David Beckham's first season in the United States.

Despite the chaos, and a disappointing finish in what had been expected to be a championship season, Harmse said he enjoyed playing with arguably the most famous soccer player in the world.

“It was a great experience,” said Harmes, who was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, but raised in Vancouver, Canada. “I have so much respect for him. He's an absolute professional.”

While Harmse might not have Beckham's skill and stature, he has brought a relative level of respect to his new club. Hankinson said his signing made the Scorpions more attractive to other MLS veterans such as striker Pablo Campos and defender Ryan Cochrane.

“There were a lot of players who started calling us after his signing,” Hankinson said. “They were thinking, if Harmse is going there, something is up.”

Having played only four matches together, results have been slow to come for the expansion Scorpions (1-2-1), who play the Tampa Bay Rowdies (2-2-1) at 7:30 tonight at Heroes Stadium. They earned their first victory last weekend, 1-0 at Carolina, on the strength of Harmse's goal in the 82nd minute.

Hankinson praised Harmse's poise on the goal, the end result of a clever give-and-go with teammate Esteban Bayona. Harmse also provided the physical presence that Hankinson considers one of his most valuable assets.

“If I had to get in a fight, I wouldn't mind Kevin watching my back,” Hankinson said.

That's probably how the rest of the Galaxy felt when Harmse nearly instigated a riot with a series of rash challenges during an exhibition match in Australia. The Sydney Daily Telegraph described Harmse as “the L.A. Galaxy thug” in its account.

Harmse accepted responsibility for the incident, saying it was not one of his finest moments.

At the same time, he made no apology for his willingness to straddle, and sometimes cross, what Hankinson refers to as “the line of competition.”

“I'm not afraid to get stuck in,” Harmse said. “It's not a bad thing to have, those guys who want to (compete). It's very important.”